Beloved Night
by Artemis Rain
Summary: Slash Warning A late night meeting between Jake and Tobias.


Disclaimer: I don't own the Animorphs. I'm broke and this story isn't remedying that.

Warning: This story is SLASH, so if that sort of thing bugs you (but I don't see why it would), you can just turn around an go back where you came from instead of subjecting yourself to the tortures of my story and/or flaming me. Pairing is T/J.

Beloved Night by Artemis Rain

"Death will come when thou art dead, Soon, too soon- Sleep will come when thou art fled; Of neither would I ask the boon I ask of thee, beloved Night- Swift be thine approaching flight, Come soon, soon!"

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

It's a beautiful night. Calm, but breezy, and warm. There's a full moon in the cloudless sky, which seems to smile at me, the endless sea of twinkling stars laughs with glee and the knowledge of what is to come this night. A cool breeze ruffles my feathers and lifts me high into the air. The treetops wave in greeting. Off in the distance I see my destination. He's left his bedside lamp on for me again. His window is open and just inside is a thick branch he found in the woods, propped up horizontally between his desk and dresser. A perch, that I can dig my talons into without having to worry about leaving marks. As I get nearer Jake's house I can see his face. He's lying on the bed, eyes open, ready for me, waiting. I angle my wings and swoop into a dive, accelerating quickly. I reach his house and circle it once, peering in any windows not covered by blinds or curtains, looking for anyone else awake. Not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse, which is fine, because I have already eaten. I approach his room and I know he sees me coming. He smiles like a child whose greatest wish has been fulfilled as I swoop through the window and land, almost silently, on the perch. It occurs to me that perhaps this is the case.

"Tobias," his voice is like sweet, rich honey. "You're late. I was afraid you weren't going to show."

He pulls the blanket off of him and stands, revealing that he is wearing nothing. My tiny heart begins to beat faster. 

Hey, man, have I ever stood you up? I ask with a smile in my thought-voice. 

"Never." I concentrate and feel the changes begin. I hop off the perch onto the floor as I become too large to stay balanced on the stick. In a matter of minutes I am earthbound and awkward, deaf and blind. I must look it, but Jake doesn't seem to mind. As I stand, fully human, clad only in my skintight morphing suit, he grins and saunters toward me. Although facial expressions tend to elude me because of my recent lack of practice, I find the slightest expression of absolute bliss begin to creep across my features as he stills my attempt at undressing myself and proceeds to do it for me. As his strong hands caress my chest while lifting my T-shirt, I find my eyes closing and a sigh of pleasure escaping my throat as I lean into his touch. We meet quite often at night. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we make love and sometimes, like tonight, we are content to lie in each other's arms and dream of peace in the brief time the morphing technology allows us. Both of us now being naked, we move towards the bed. I pick up the watch on his bedside table and set the alarm to quietly beep in one hour and fifty seconds. I'm a little skittish about obeying the time limit, but Jake doesn't chide me for it. I suppose it's natural for a nothlit to worry about stuff like that, and the others seem to sense it, too. We lie down and Jake pulls the blanket over top of us. Our lips meet for an eternity of bliss within a minute as we taste each other, caressing each other with our mouths. His kiss sends tingles down my spine, and electrical shocks around my body. I could give up my life as a hawk for Jake. I would give anything to be able to do this forever. Sometimes I want so badly to ignore the soft beeping of the watch beside me and remain with him for the rest of our lives. But then I must remind myself that one day it could happen, but only if I keep fighting. I must protect Jake, my lover, as well as our planet in order for my dream to manifest. Our lips part once again and we pause to stare into each others eyes. His brilliant green orbs bore into me, searching my soul and loving everything they find. So beautiful. I wonder if my almost expressionless face disturbs him. I asked him once. He laughed his beautiful laugh and told me he didn't need to see anything written on my face, it all came out through my eyes. Still, though, I wonder. I know it disturbs the others. His soft, strong arms wrap around me and his fingers stroke my hair. I bury my face in his chest, nuzzling against his young, but remarkably well-toned body. Flying can't compare to this feeling. I wonder, sometimes, what the others would say if they knew. What Cassie would say. What Rachel would say. Although, often I think they suspect. The way Jake's voice changes when he speaks to me, and the way I always perch as close to him as I can, is becoming more and more obvious. I think maybe Marco knows. He's much more perceptive than people give him credit for. I've seen him giving us these little grins every time we show a sign of a relationship deeper than friendship or camaraderie. Like he knows something the others don't. Part of me wants to tell him, but another part wants to keep it between Jake and me, a precious secret known only to us. I make a mental note to ask Jake sometime what he thinks about it. We lie warm and content in each other's arms, maybe dozing, maybe just cuddling in loving silence, it all seems to be the same. We bask in each other's glory until the soft chirping of the timekeeping device shatters my heart. We kiss one last time, sweet and sad, before I pull myself from the comfort of his arms and begin to gather my clothing. 

"Will you come again tomorrow?" His voice is filled with longing. I ache all over.

"Of course. Same time?" He nods. The cool air blowing in through the open window becomes more comfortable as I become smaller and my body is covered in soft, warm feathers. No goodbyes are exchanged, as they always seem too final, and we will see each other again soon. I hear the window close behind me as the night air welcomes me back. One day this war will end and we can truly be together. Until then, I am forced to ponder the difficulties of interspecies love and reflect in quiet solitude how hard it must be to love a bird. 


End file.
